I have been only recently hired as a product manager in a large company. I have a technical background, mostly in startups and I am struggling to understand my bosses motivation. Everything is super slow, but speed is priority only on paper. In practice the only important measure is to look good and be popular. Incompetence is not an issue as long as it is calculated in your roadmap and in your estimates. To the contrary, being proactive and pushing for improvements can only land you in trouble, because your authority is limited and as a manager you depend on the good will of many incompetent incumbents.
So far I have learned that management, aka navigating politics, is harder than navigating technology.
So far I have learned that management, aka navigating politics, is harder than navigating technology.